Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1887-08-05
CLEVELAND ARRAIGNED.
TRIED AT THE BAR OF CIVIL SERVICE
REFORM AND FOUND WANTING.
Address of George william Curtis at the
Meeting of the National Civil Service
Reform League The Administra-
tion strongly Censured.

NEWPORT II. l., Aug. 3.-The annual
form league opened here to-day The an
nual address was delivered by George
William Curtis. Following are interest
ing abstracts
Two years ago, five months after the in
auguration of President Cleveland, re.
minded you that in considering the condi-
ton and prospects of reform we reviewed
the question not as supporters or oppo-
nents of his administration, or of any adj
ministraton, but solely as friends of civil
service reform. ] said also that reform
had never been the distinctive policy of
either of the great national parties. Now
that two years have passed and more than
half the term of the administration has
expired it is in the same spirit and with
the same conviction that we are to look
at the situation. 1t is now possible |
think to judge correctly the course of
the administration in regard to reform
and | regret to say that during the two
years and five months of its existence
| While the reform law has been respected
within its limited range, and while there
| are unqueStlonaOle ana encouraging signs
of progress, yet according to information
| which is undoubtedly authentic, there has
been very significant change in the civil
service. In some OF the departments at
Washington this is less apparent than
| elsewhere. But in survey of the whole
service there has been almost as complete
a change as was practicable, since an en-
tirely new force of totally inexperienced
officers would have prevented the regular
transaction of the public business
a few figures will illustrate the scope
| and sign dcance of the changes The
number of employees of the government of
all kinds contained in the official register
is about 10000 or 10000. OF these about
| $4,000 are included in the classified ser
vice, which covers about $3.50 places in
the departments in Washington, and s,262
| in the postal and customs service else
where, distributed among twenty-eight
post-otlices and eleven custom houses
Outside the classified service all the minor
places are held at the pleasure of certain
superior officers, mainly postmasters col
leCtor5 of customs and internal revenue,
surveyors and other port officers. mar
shals, district attorneys, and land officers.
! These are the effective agents when
the service is made a political ma
chine, and upon them a very large pro-
portion of the subordinate places depend.
| To effect virtual clean sweep therefore,
| the change of Il certain number and class
of officers only is necessary. The number
of chief officers, including postmasters,
collectors, land officers and many others,
is about $4,000. OF these chief officers APP
parehtly about As or $4,000 have been
changed, and the change in these Offices
implies change also in all places de-
pendent upon them. The changes cover
deaths, designations, justiGable dismissals
and reappontments upon eXprations of
| terms. OF about 2400 presidential post
masters, who.serve four years, very in
considerable number have been reappOint-
ed, and all but 800 or 400 have been
changed. All of the s. internal revenue
collectors have been displaced, and of the
! III collectors Of customs 100 have been re-
moved or not reappointed.
There are now ), l57 postoffices In the
| United States. OF these about 2400 are
filled upon the nomination of the presi
dent, and the term of Office is four years
| The rest are filled at pleasure by the post
master general Appointments to all the
offices are made upon the death of in
| cumbents, upon changes of names and
sites, upon designations and the expiration
OF commissions, upon the establishment
of new offices. and upon removal and sus
pensions. Deaths are about i'll a 100 dur
ing the year, and appointments upon
| changes of names and sites and the estab-
llshment of new offices are very few. Dur
ing the first four months of the admin
| istration the health of the first
assistant postmaster general who has
charge of the offices which are filled by
the postmaster general was so iHfirm that
the mere routine work of the office was
w
rary changes were therefore probably
fewer than might otherwise have been
| the case. OF the actual number of
changes for all causes in the postoffices
of every kind have seen two statements,
both OF which assume to be authentic.
One of them states the whole number of
changes to be about A., 600, the other about
| A. 900. Whether, however, the larger or
the smaller number be more accurate, at
the same rate of change for the next two
years the entire body of postmasters would
be Wth very few exceptions politically
changed, and with the postmasters all the
employees dependent on them. The re
| suit would not have been accomplished,
indeed, by clean sweep. Some presi-
dental officers might have served out
their terms and Il very few as in the hap
| py instance of the postmaster at New
| \ ork might be re-appointed. But substan-
TALLY the whole of this vast and univer-
sally ditfused service, whose smaller of
fees are the local headquarters of the
ADMINISTRATION party and are often given to
| local editors, whose newspapers are thus
subsidized by the government, would
have undergone complete partisan re-
construction.
There is another important class of Of
| ticers which the league and friends of re-
form have enGeavored earnestly to per-
| suade the executive to include in the elias
sitied service, namely, the assistant heads
of bureaus, chief clerks and heads of d-
visions. The late officers of this grade
had generally entered at the lowest point
and had risen thrOu IN the service. AS q
body they were trAi ned and competent Of
ticers, but the great majority of them have
been removed or reduced and their places
have been filled with unframed successors.
The argument that it is necessary to
change such officers, in order that a new
administration may learn the ac-
tual condition of the public business, is at
once the frank confession of the disastrous
consequences of a wholly partisan service
and its utter condemnation. 1t is the &C
knOwledg'ot that tho roper conduct of
the publ '.' -. r.,. res the removal
of the be-l ON ..- service. For if
it were true that Ulcers are parts
ans so offensive Tia uey wontonly OBJ
Struct and embaras- Il new administration,
their peremtory removal wonld be an i'm
portant public duty. But the offence for